Bryan Stow, the San Francisco Giants fan brutally beaten by two men on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium, remains in a medically induced coma and in critical condition, a hospital official said Sunday.
San Francisco police ready for the Dodgers to arrive for a three-game series at the AT&T Stadium by the bay Monday. The SFPD will assign extra officers in uniform, in street clothes, and on boat.
The Giants announced the team will honor Stow during Monday's game, the first Dodgers swing through the Bay Area of the year. The Giants will collect donations to benefit a fund established to support Stow, a paramedic and father of two from Santa Cruz.
At Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, Stow's family “remains by his side. There are no changes in condition from the days prior,” said Rosa Saca, a hospital spokeswoman.
Stow, 42, was beaten in Dodger Stadium parking lot 2 on March 31 by two men wearing Dodgers clothing.
“We are not going to allow what happened in Los Angeles to repeat itself up here.” said SFPD Officer Abie Esparza, in an interview with City News Service late Saturday.
Racist, violent threats and taunts against Dodger fans and Latinos have been posted anonymously on San Francisco-specific web sites. Police will beef up security in response to calls for retaliation against Dodger fans for Stow's beating at Dodger Stadium, said San Francisco police officer Abie Esparza.
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“We don't give out exact numbers or logistics for security reasons, but there will be additional police officers assigned inside and outside AT&T Stadium for this upcoming three-game series,” SFPD Officer Abie Esparza told City News Service. “Regardless of which team's fan you are, if you are drunk in public, if you are abusive or combative, if you engage in or threaten violence, you will be arrested,” said Esparza.
He said the increased security will include a significant increase in the number of uniformed and undercover officers and bike patrols in the parking lots.
“We will also be using the department's marine units because the stadium sits on the bay and there are fans who ride boats in the cove behind the stadium,” he said.
Esparza said officers have been told to be “pre-emptive” when it comes to dealing with any potential altercations.
“I can't over-emphasize this enough,” he said. “If you are publicly drunk or combative and trying to start fights, you will be arrested and charged, end of story.”
“We are both (Giants and police) committed to ensuring that baseball games at AT&T Park will be a safe environment for everyone,” he said. “This is a family affair up here and we will insure there's a zero tolerance for any knuckleheads, regardless of whether they are Giants or Dodgers fans, to disrupt that safety zone for everyone else.”
The police, he said, have also been monitoring on-line sites for any incendiary messages related to the upcoming series between the longtime rivals.
Esparza said the department identified one “inappropriate” Craigslist message that was flagged and taken down.
However, a review of S.F. Craigslist “Rants and Raves” found numerous other messages calling for retaliation against Dodger fans -- racist remarks aimed at Latinos.
One posting supported the murder of a “Dodger Fan, a Mexican Fan,” while another advocated beating “to death a Mexican in Dodger gear.”
No one from the San Francisco Giants was immediately available to comment on security for the upcoming series, but a check of the Giants website indicated that beer sales in most parts of the stadium will end in the seventh inning.
Guests purchasing alcohol in the Field Club Lounge or Club level after the seventh inning must remain there to consume their drinks. There is also a two-drink limit per purchase at the concession stands, and a four-drink limit from vendors in the stands.
